There's a certain inherent sadness listening to this concise 12-song collection of
the Carpenters
' early hits, especially as it opens with
"We've Only Just Begun,"
with its hopeful, dreamy lyrics -- for it was never supposed to be definitive, just the first of at least two such collections. But changes in the public's taste and a slackening (though never a disappearance) of hits for the duo, and
Karen Carpenter
's death in 1983, made this the first and only real mass choice for a
Carpenters
collection. Ten of the duo's dozen Top Ten hits are present, from
"Close to You"
to
"Top of the World,"
with their gorgeous and original slow
ballad
interpretation of
"Ticket to Ride"
and their cover of
Carole King
's
"It's Going to Take Some Time"
thrown in to offer a slightly wider perspective. Listening to this material, it's easy to accuse
of being hopelessly retro even in their own time -- bear in mind that
"We've Only Just Begun"
and
"Superstar"
being contemporaneous with
the Allman Brothers
'
At Fillmore East
Eat a Peach
and you get the idea. But the lush melodies brought out in
Richard Carpenter
's arrangements and
Karen
's singing are justification in themselves. [The 1999 reissue in
A&M
's Remastered Classics series (#82839-3601-2) has a closer, toughened but warmer sound. Yes, the strings are brighter, to the point of glistening, but the rhythm section (
Joe Osborn
on bass,
Hal Blaine
on drums) has more impact as well. Moreover, the full original notes from the insert are now included, explaining how each song came to be discovered and recorded.] ~ Bruce Eder